‘He took her right in front of my eyes’ – witness links Mkhwanazi to victim

A possible link to one of the women yet to be identified in the “Selby Six” murders has emerged.

After the matter was postponed on Monday for a bail application, a family spokesperson for the woman for whose murder, Sifiso Mkhwanazi, 20, has been charged, claimed their loved one was seen with him on video footage in possession of the state.

“She went missing on 2 October; she was the one that was last reported missing.

“Her sister cannot even talk, she does not sleep. Seeing him today made her sister even worse,” she said, requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, another person, whose loved one went missing three months ago, said they were still waiting for police to give them DNA results to prove that their loved one was indeed one of the women whose decomposed bodies were found.

Five more women were found in various places on the property.

“We do not know if she is one of them because they have not told us anything.

“We have not been called to identify her and we are still waiting for a DNA test,” she said.

“For now, we do not want to speak further because she is yet to be identified, but we can confirm that she was reported to be missing.”

Mkhwanazi last to be seen with her

A sex worker, Jane (not her real name), alleged Mkhwanazi was the last person to be seen with the woman who disappeared three months ago.

“He took her in front of my eyes, he left with her and the following day she never came back. We have tried to look for her but we never found her.”

She said Mkhwanazi was charming and sweet when he left with the woman. “We never thought [the alleged perpetrator] would be capable of such, especially at his age.”

Jane was allegedly also one of the six women who went to an identity parade last Friday.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said they were still unsure about when DNA testing would be completed, as they were relying on the family members of the women.

“DNA is not the competency of the NPA, therefore we cannot give a specific time frame when the DNA will be ready. As soon as we receive those results, the family members will be notified,” she said.

Mkhwanazi’s attorney, Khanyiswa Mkhabe, told magistrate Betty Khumalo he wanted the court to rule that his client’s father should not visit him until the case had been concluded.

Prosecutor advocate Tshepo Mhange ka Mzizi said the accused had a right to family visits and that he wanted to avoid the accused later saying he had been denied that right.

“I plead with the court to establish with the accused whether he wants his father to visit or not, so the state is not accused of violating his rights for visitation,” he said.

Forced confession

Mkhabe alleged on behalf of Mkhwanazi that his client had been forced to confess to the crime by his father.

However, Khumalo said nobody was compelled to make the accused confess and a confession would be worthless if it was forced.

“Confession is something a person must do freely and voluntarily, without any undue influence,” said Khumalo.

“If it is going to surface at a later stage that we are sitting on a confession that was irregularly obtained, then we would have a problem.”

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On the alleged forcing of the confession by the father and the investigating officer, Mjonondwane said there were specific requirements for a confession to be admissible in court.

“If the process that was followed, as alleged by the accused, does not meet the requirements of the law, then that cannot stand in court.”

– lungam@citizen.co.za